I love the study of languages and would like to apply my interest in languages to the study of immigration and education.
In 1991, I was born in the USSR. It is odd to be born in a country that no longer exists. I was born in Poltava, Ukraine, where a mix of Ukrainian and Russian – called Surjik – is spoken. I speak Surjik at home and to my relatives over the phone. I spent many summers in a village in Ukraine and developed my knowledge of colloquial Ukraine.
In 1998, my family moved to a Russian-speaking neighborhood in New York City, where I developed fluency in Russian. Because the neighborhood was full of immigrants from the former USSR, my repertoire of Russian includes words like "babychka." I learned Russian in the US before I started to learn English.
When I entered second grade, I had to take ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. I learned English by watching Full House - I think this is the root of my desire to go to California.
In sixth grade, I started to learn French – initially, I was drawn to the language because I loved the way it sounded. I was lucky to have the opportunity to study in Angouleme, France the summer after my sophomore year. After that summer, I realized how wonderful French culture is. I fell in love with the French language.
While in France, I had an cross-cultural language moment. One day I was on a beach in LaRochelle and heard a woman from Belarus speaking Russian to her baby! What are the odds? I love how knowing languages removes barriers and allows people to move freely and communicate all over the world.
Three days ago, I started Spanish 1. It is very fun so far. I already find myself trying to making French words sound Spanish and rolling the "r" as if it is Russian. I will be volunteering in Bolivia this June and July, so I am very motivated to learn as much Spanish as I can in the short time span. I welcome any suggestions on how to do this! :)
Language has shaped my life and I am looking forward to learning about its effect on you!
Languages I Speak (in order learned): Ukrainian, Russian, English, French, Spanish (my Spanish is currently limited to “¿Qué tal?”).
Here is a map of places that I have lived in and visited...
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